BJP gets its all-time high vote share in Himachal Pradesh

BJP garnered 53.3% votes in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh, its highest so far in the state, bagging all four seats.

The party also reversed the trend of the people voting for the state's ruling party in the Lok Sabha polls. BJP defeated Congress in all the four seats, including in Mandi where Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's wife Pratibha lost to BJP greenhorn Ram Swaroop Sharma.

So far the highest vote share of BJP was 51.44 per cent, in 1998 when the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls were held simultaneously. Congress had polled 41.90 per cent votes in 1998 and won the Shimla seat, while BJP bagged three others.

In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, when the BJP was in power in the state, it won three seats polling 49.58% (13,33,774) votes, while the Congress which won the Mandi seat got 45.61% votes and polled 12,26,933 votes.

The polling percentage was highest at 66.32 in 1998, while it was 65.18% in 2014.

Even in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP which lost all four seats, was able to get 44.24% votes, while the Congress secured 51.89% votes.

The BJP which forged an alliance with Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) in 1999 Lok Sabha polls and contested three seats, polled 46.27 per cent votes in the Lok Sabha polls against 39.52 per cent votes polled by Congress. The BJP won all three seats while HJC which won the Shimla seat polled 12.37 per cent votes.

In 1996 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP lost all four seats and polled 39.62% votes while Congress secured 54.33% votes while in 1991, the BJP and Congress shared two seats each but Congress polled 46.16% votes against 42.79% votes polled by BJP.

In 1989 polls, the BJP won three out of four seats and polled 45.2% votes against Congress's 41.97.

In 1984 polls, held after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Congress swept the polls and got 67.58% votes against 23.27% votes polled by BJP, which drew a blank.

In 1980 Lok Sabha polls, BJP was not in existence and the then Janata Party, of which present BJP was a major constituent polled 36.38% votes while Congress got 52.08% votes and made a clean sweep.